All I Believe In
by FiferRose
Summary: When the Cullens are forced to seek help from the Quileute wolf pack, tensions are aplenty. However, an unlikely romance forms between Emmett and Jacob. Can they see this love through, or will pressure from their respective families force them to part?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** This story idea hit me out of nowhere. The pairing is strange, but has the potential to be completely and utterly amazing, I believe. It's important(ish) to note that, in this story, Bella is not present. Let's just say that she moved to Jacksonville, FL instead of Forks, WA. So, basically, it's **AU**, just not by much.**

**Also, don't be afraid to ****review**** and let me know what you think of the story so far, or where you might like to see it go. I've got it pretty much [**loosely**] planned out to the end, but hearing some fresh ideas never hurts.**

**Anyway, ENJOY. :)**

_Jacob, meet us at the trailhead, now, _Sam ordered with the double timbre of an Alpha. The order came as Jacob was nearing the edge of his front yard, oh-so-close to phasing back into his human form and going into the house for some relaxation. Before he could, however, he was forced to turn back around and run back into the woods. He ran as quickly as he could, eager to get to the meeting and get it over with. When Jacob neared the trailhead, he phased into his human form, sensing that the others were already in their human forms, and slid on the pair of jogging pants tied loosely to his ankle.

"What's going on?" Jacob inquired.

"It's the bloodsuckers," Paul sneered. "They want our help."

"Want our help with what?"

Sam spoke this time, less venom in his voice than Paul had had in his own "Protection. It seems that some friends of the Cullens are in danger and the Cullens are providing them with shelter temporarily. There's a possibility that the vampires that are out for their friends could be headed this way. People on both sides of the treaty line are at risk. We'll be working closely with the Cullen family, and it is imperative that our individual differences don't get in the way of what we have to do."

"If by 'individual differences' you mean the fact that vampires are our natural enemies…," Leah muttered.

"So it's been decided already?" Jacob asked incredulously, ignoring Leah like everyone else was. "We're helping them?"

"We are protectors, Jacob, it is our responsibility to keep our families safe, and those on the other side of the border as well. It will be safer to work together. None of us has to like the idea, but all of you had better start getting used to it."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Emmett, it is not as though this comradeship will be unnecessarily prolonged. We need the help of the Quileute tribe, and they have graciously agreed to give it," Carlisle said, trying to quell Emmett's temper.

"But _why_? The wolves know nothing about Saoirse or Tallis, _our_ friends. That makes this _our_ problem, and _we_ should be the ones to solve it. Who cares if the damned newborns outnumber us? Jasper has experience taking out newborns, large numbers of them, at that. This'll be a cakewalk. We kick some newborn ass, and we don't smell like wet dog at the end of the day. Win-win."

"Very funny, young man. Now, watch your language and stop arguing with your father."

"Yes, ma'am," Emmett sighed, immediately defeated now that his mother was involved in the discussion.

"The way this will operate is as follows: four of you, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper, will be spending a lot of time on the reservation. There you will be matched up with one of the Quileute wolves and run the border line between Forks and La Push, looking for any signs of intruders. There will be a daylight shift, which involves runs from eight A.M. to eight P.M, at which time the pairs on the night shift will take over and run from eight-oh-one P.M. to seven fifty-nine A.M. During each shift, you will stagger your runs so that there is a pair patrolling the border at all times. Two pairs will work each twelve-hour shift for four days, after which you will switch. When you are not actively running the line, you will be guarding the surrounding areas. Once your shift is over, you can come back home while the werewolves get some rest."

Carlisle paused to make sure everyone understood.

"Edward and Alice will remain here with Saoirse and Tallis and patrol our home and its surroundings, as well as the lands within fifty miles. As for me, I will alternate positions, one day running the border line, and the next searching the outlying lands. The same thing will be taking place at La Push: four wolves running the border line with four of us, and the remainder of the wolves working the La Push area with Sam alternating between locations. Does everyone understand?"

Silently, Rosalie, Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett nodded, as did Esme.

"Good. Now, as far as personal differences, they are not to interfere with your job. Sam will not tolerate any fighting from his pack, and Esme and I will certainly not tolerate any foolishness from our own 'pack'. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," came the five-fold reply.

"Good. Now, everybody out the door. We've an appointment to keep."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"So, basically," Paul began, "All hell is about to break loose in Washington?"

"Yes, basically," Carlisle replied. "Our friends Saoirse and Tallis have become involved with some rather debauched and corrupt vampires who have now turned against them. These vampires are quite influential in the vampire underworld, so to speak. They essentially are the vampire equivalent of the Mafia. Once you wrong them, they seek vengeance, usually in the form of execution."

"What makes them so powerful that you cannot take them out alone?" Paul asked, somehow managing to behave civilly, which surprised every member of the tribe. Maybe Sam had ordered him to be on his best behavior. It was a nice change, Paul's civility, but Jacob could not enjoy it with the smell of vampire burning his nose.

"The armies they bring with them. Newborns, the most powerful vampires of all."

"Why are they so powerful?" Seth, the youngest of the werewolves, asked earnestly. He was attending the meeting with his sister, Leah.

"The venom mixes with the human blood that is still in each newborn's system. The combination makes for a very potent energy source. However, the newborns are predictable in their movements. They have not developed any fighting skills or technique, so they will always go for the obvious kill. It makes them somewhat easier to take out, but their brute strength is a force to be reckoned with. Fortunately, Jasper here has a great deal of experience dealing with newborns, and he will demonstrate for us some of the easiest ways to kill the newborns, if it even comes to that."

Emmett sincerely hoped that this whole thing ended with a glorious fight. If it didn't, well, maybe he would just pick a fight with a werewolf. He would need something to get rid of all his pent-up energy. Besides, fighting a werewolf would be something new. Emmett would try anything once; twice if it didn't kill him the first time.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**** Yes, things are slow at first, but that is because I am introducing the situation and character relationships. Carlisle and Esme are together; Alice and Jasper are together; Emmett and Rosalie are **_**not**_** together; Edward is alone. On the Quileute side, Jacob is completely unattached, and Quil hasn't imprinted on Claire.**

**Enjoy chapter two. :)**

**Reviews are love!**

After the meeting, Quil and Jacob went to Jacob's garage, where Embry was supposed to meet them. Pacing around the room while Quil sat perched on a spare tire, Jacob threw his hands up in exasperation.

"We have to team up with those stinking bloodsuckers, and to top it off, we don't even get to fight!"

"I heard you the first twelve times you said that, Jake. It sucks, sure, but first of all, there is no guarantee that you will be one of the four unlucky bastards that get paired up with one of the leeches. And if you are, there could still be a fight for you to jump into. If not, what is gonna happen? You gonna go pick a fight when there's nothing to fight about? That would be really stupid. So, I think you need to just chill out. There could be gallons of blood shed, for all you know. Would that make you happy?"

"Don't get smart with me, Quil. I'm being serious. Do you actually want to spend time with those leeches? Those monsters?"

"Monsters? So says the guy that spends massive amounts of time running around as a giant puppy."

Jacob stopped pacing to glare at Quil.

"Remind me again why I'm friends with you."

"Because you can't resist my charm. Or my Nintendo."

"Right. Damn it! Where the hell is Embry?" Jacob asked, beginning to pace again.

"No idea. He said he was going to stick around for some extra practice with the Cullens. I think he's got the hots for the blonde chick."

"Rosalie…. Damn it, why do I even know her name!?"

"Dude, seriously, chill. There isn't enough room in this shack for me to stay in one piece while you go all Beowulf on somebody's ass."

"You do know that Beowulf had nothing to do with actual wolves, right?"

"Whatever, man. I'm just saying that you need to chillax, 'kay? Stop pacing before you wear a hole in the floor. Besides, you are totally making me dizzy."

Before Jacob could retort, Embry burst through the door of the shop, a strange smile on his face.

"Dudes!" he exclaimed. "That. Was. _Awesome_! You guys should have been there! Vampires are so fast when they run that they're like practically invisible. Oh, and when they hit each other, it sounds like boulders colliding or something! It's friggin' sweet, man."

"Since when are you the bloodsuckers' biggest fan?" Jacob asked scornfully.

"Since I got picked and paired up with the hot blonde chick!" Embry was ecstatic.

"They decided who was partnering up while we were gone?"

"Well, Sam was still there, so he and Dr. Cullen figured it out."

There was silence as Jacob and Quil waited for Embry to continue.

"So, are you going to tell us who got picked or are you gonna keep daydreaming about Barbie, dude?"

"Oh, believe me; I will make some 'special' time for thinking about Barbie later."

"Ew. That's way gross, man. You over share."

"Just sayin'. Anyway, I'm with Rosalie, obviously. They picked Seth, which Leah hated, but she's a bitch, so no one cares. They put him with the vampire mom, Esme. Total 'M.I.L.F.', by the way. Except for the whole vampire thing, which I can excuse Rosalie for, because, I mean, _damn_. Look at her."

"The point, Embry. Get to it," Jacob sighed.

"Chill, bro. I'm getting there. They chose Paul, and they paired him with Jasper, the blonde dude. It seems Jasper has some kind of extra power to influence people's emotions, and they figure that he can keep Paul in check and lay some mojo on him to keep him calm."

"I wish the bloodsucker the best of luck with that," Quil laughed.

"I know, right? Let's see. Me, Seth, Paul, oh yeah," Embry counted each guy out on his fingers, trying to remember the pairings. "Quil, man, you didn't get chosen. Sorry, man."

"Sorry?" Quil said. "For what? I don't have to run all over creation with vampire burning my nose. I'm glad I didn't get picked."

"What about Jared, Brady, and Collin?" Jacob asked, knowing the answer before he asked, but eager to delay the bad news nonetheless.

"Jared volunteered to stay with Leah, and Collin didn't have a choice but to stay home. Brady, either. There weren't enough vampires to go around, apparently."

"Well what about those vampire friends of the Cullens? The ones we're doing all this for in the first place."

"They are not of the 'vegetarian' sort. Dr. Cullen says we would all be better off if they just stayed put in Forks. They're on guard duty, basically."

"So, that makes me the fourth person. _Damn it_. Who the hell did they pair me with?"

"That would be Emmett. The big, brawny fellow. I overheard Sam and Dr. Cullen talking about how you're both pig-headed and feisty. Well, maybe not in those exact words, but apparently you two will be a match made in Heaven. Oh, and you and Seth have the daylight shift for the first round."

Embry took a seat next to Quil on the garage floor when he was done speaking. Jacob began to pace again, but more slowly this time.

"Well, it doesn't help much, but at least he'll be easy to put up with if he really is as similar to me as they say."

"Ha!" Embry and Quil laughed simultaneously.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, you have never had to put up with yourself," Quil explained.

"And?"

"Basically, what Quil here is saying is that you are going to absolutely hate this guy."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"So, I'm pretty much paired with the werewolf version of myself?"

"Yes. Think of it as a learning opportunity. According to what we've heard from Sam, it would seem that Jacob Black is quite similar to you, Emmett."

"Basically, what Esme here is saying, bro, is that now you will learn first-hand what we all go through when it comes to putting up with you. Payback is a bitch!"

"Language, Alice!"

"Sorry!" she called, already flitting up the stairs to the room she shared with Jasper.

"I do not understand what makes this whole situation so difficult for you to accept, Emmett," Carlisle stated. "No one else, not even Rosalie, the most histrionic person in this family, found a problem with this arrangement, much less with his or her partnership. What issues have you with yours?"

"No issues. I just don't like the idea of the wolves getting in our way. That's all, Dad. Nothing I can't handle, so don't worry about me. You said that you wouldn't ask for their help unless you thought it was absolutely necessary, so I trust you, and I won't let anything interfere with keeping us all safe, I promise. Not even a stinking old werewolf," Emmett joked, trying to ease the apprehension he knew Carlisle carried with him, for most of which Emmett felt he was to blame.

"Alright, son. Thank you. This will be over before you know it."

"Hope so. See you. Good night, Mom, Dad. Love you guys."

As his parents reciprocated both his 'love you' and his good night wishes, Emmett ascended the stairs to one of the guest bedrooms in the Cullen home. He'd traded his own much larger and nicer bedroom to Saoirse and Tallis for the time being. He missed his own bed, though it was basically useless, and he definitely missed his stereo system. For now, he relied on his mp3 player. He plugged in a set of headphones, placed them over his ears, and pressed play on the delicate machinery. Emmett could feel the tension of the day release itself from his body as the first familiar notes of a very familiar song began to play. The sound was imperfect to his vampire ears, of course, regardless of the fact that the headphones he owned were the best that money could buy. However, the song soothed him just the same. Emmett closed his eyes as the music played and he lay on the bed, coming as close to something resembling sleep as he ever possibly could.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**** Enjoy this chapter of nearly fifteen-hundred words.**

**And please take the time to review. Don't make me beg. ;)**

**Enjoy. :D**

"He's such a cocky asshole!" Emmett exclaimed. His voice boomed throughout the garage where he was holding court with Edward and Jasper. "He's completely full of himself, and his bravado really is for the record books, gentlemen. What a freaking _douche bag_!"

Jasper and Edward just shook their heads and laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"He's you, but with a fur coat," Edward replied. He then exited the garage, taking with him the latest issue of _Car & Driver _magazine. Jasper remained in the garage with Emmett.

"I'm not really that bad, am I, Jazz?"

"Well…," Jasper began. Then he falsely coughed. "So, they paired me with that Paul guy, the jerk. He talks more than Alice, only he's a lot less polite, especially when I force some tranquility on him. It's the funniest thing I've ever seen, the way he just loses all his fight all of a sudden. Then, he gives me this go-to-Hell look that is completely priceless. I wish you could have been there to see it."

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"I'm glad you guys weren't there to see it," Embry muttered. At a few minutes before after one A.M., he was sitting at Jacob's kitchen table, a bag of frozen peas pressed to his slowly purpling, slightly swollen eye.

"Oh, man, I wish I could have been there," Quil replied. Jacob nodded his agreement then returned to his thoughts.

"It was completely uncalled for, man! I just gave her an innocent suggestion as to how we could better pass the time between runs, and she hauled off and knocked me one! It felt like my face was about to fall off."

"The vamps are strong, man. Duh. You should be lucky she only wanted to scare you a little and that she didn't hit you full-force. You wouldn't be sitting here right now if she had, I guarantee it," Quil said.

"I guess. Ooh! Maybe she spared me because secretly the idea intrigued her and she wants to keep me around for when she changes her mind!" Embry said. As the thought struck him, his face brightened considerably.

"Or maybe you're just a moron," Quil muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, man. Just talking to myself."

"Oh. So, how was your first day of patrol?"

"Boring as hell. Plus, I had to listen to Leah run her mouth all day. I almost feel bad for her, since nobody can stand her and all, but then she opens her mouth and something stupid comes out, so I lose all sympathy."

"That's why I don't even try to feel bad for her. She brings it on herself, really. Hey, Jake. What are you being so quiet for? How were your runs with Emmett?"

"Fine," Jacob replied. After hearing his friends say how similar he was to Emmett, Jacob was not about to admit that he thought Emmett was an asshole. He might as well just call himself one and save his breath. At least then he would not have to explain how he had felt the strange need to prove himself to the vampire. It was not as though he actually _could_ explain it, anyway.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Hopefully, you all are beginning to become accustomed to the patterns we are trying to create with our patrol. If you are not, do not let it worry you, for this is only day one," Carlisle said the next morning as he addressed the people in front of him, werewolves and vampires alike. "As far as personal issues, I am aware that there has been some friction between partners, Rosalie and Embry, for example. However, all of this tension and unease is a waste of time. We all have a common enemy here: the faction of vampires that are seeking to harm our friends and these towns that we each love and wish to protect. I understand that it may seem unreasonable to expect new friendships to blossom out of this situation, but I hope that you each can at least put your differences aside for the good of your town and the people living there."

A murmur of reluctant agreement traveled throughout the small crowd gathered in front of Carlisle, a crowd that was divided by an invisible line into two distinct parts: vampire and werewolf. Seth Clearwater was the only person brave enough to cross that line and he stood comfortably beside Esme, nearly touching her, as he clung to every word Carlisle spoke.

Carlisle stepped down from the small rock upon which he had been standing to signify that the meeting was over. The small group of people dissipated, some of the people heading up the small hill to his or her home to get some rest, others heading back to his or her station to keep watch, and still others getting ready for the next scheduled run along the border line.

Jacob lagged behind in the group, walking slowly and letting everyone pass him. He watched everyone walk away, laughing when he saw that Embry was hot on Rosalie's trial. He would not be surprised if Embry came back to La Push missing an appendage or two after his next shift. Jacob also noticed Paul and his partner Jasper arguing about something. Paul was dangerously close to Jasper's teeth and was yelling in his face. Suddenly, Paul's arms sagged to his sides and a serene smile found its way to his face. Then, an amused smile found its way to Jasper's granite-like features. Jacob guessed that Jasper's powers were as good as rumored. He would love to have power like that, especially when Paul was being an asshole, which, honestly, was pretty much all of the time.

Jacob gradually made his way up the small hill and found Emmett waiting for him at the top.

"It's about time," Emmett complained.

"Shut up. The next run isn't for ten more minutes," Jacob replied.

"Well, we could get a head start; let's show the others how it's done. A little overachievement never hurt anybody," Emmett countered.

"Fine. Let's go." Jacob began running towards the woods, only to be left in the dust by Emmett, who was, not surprisingly, showing off. Jacob ignored the vampire whose booming laugh could be heard from yards away.

Once in the cover of the trees, Jacob removed his cut-off denim shorts and phased. Phasing was something he could easily control now, after much practice. Jacob could smell Emmett and realized that the leech was waiting for him just around the bend. Jacob easily caught up, using his powerful legs to his advantage. Once Emmett was in view, leaning against a tree, Jacob slowed down slightly, pretending that he was preparing to come to a stop. Then, he suddenly began to run as fast as he possibly could, leaving Emmett behind him with a slightly shocked expression on his face. The shock soon turned to glee, though, as he took off behind Jacob, coming up behind more quickly than Jacob had anticipated. What had begun as a 'head start' on the run soon became a full-fledged race, all duties forgotten, as Jacob barked a laugh and picked his pace up another notch. He and Emmett had gotten an early start; they could double back through the forest as soon as their little race was over and do their job for real, no harm done.

"Come on, Fido," Emmett teased. He had broken even with Jacob and now the two were racing neck and neck, easily dodging both fallen trees and those still standing. Suddenly, Jacob realized that somehow they had gotten away from the border line and were now racing at a breakneck speed towards the edge of Lauderdale Point, a cliff that the wolf pack and other locals frequently jumped from. However, the cliff-diving was only from a lower overhanging. No one dared to jump from the top for fear of a broken neck, or worse. Jacob skidded to a stop just shy of the edge and barked a warning to Emmett, a warning that Emmett ignored. Still running as quickly as superhumanly possible, Emmett soared over the edge of the cliff and dove gracefully into the water below. It seemed an eternity before he broke the water's choleric surface. Jacob hastily phased into his human form and slid on his pants before peering over the edge into the water below. Emmett surfaced moments later, and gave a joyful shout at the top of his lungs.

"Woooo! I guess this means I win, huh?" he bellowed. Jacob sighed and waited for Emmett to climb back up into the forest so they could begin their first run. He had the feeling it was going to be a long day.


End file.
